The Salutations of John
With the exception of the three epistles of John and, debatably, Hebrews and Revelation, the non-historical books of the New Testament begin with the author’s name. The Apostle John appears to be the lone exception to this rule. The question naturally arises as to why this is so and if there is any importance to this detail. We will first examine the two debatable exceptions – Hebrews and Revelation.
HEBREWS
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1).
Although not beginning with the author’s name, this epistle does begin with a proper name, “God.” It is as though the author, either to lend importance to his message or to personally remove himself, omitted his own name. We suggest that both reasons are true. The epistle is properly titled “Hebrews” and lays out before a Jewish audience the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ over the angels (chapter 1), over the law (chapter 2), over Moses (chapters 3 and 4), over Aaron (chapter 5), over Abraham (chapter 6), over Melchizedek (chapter 7), over the priesthood and tabernacle and temple services (chapters 8 through 10), and as the one whom all the faithful witnesses of the Old Testament attest (chapters 11 and 12).
This message was radical to its Jewish readers. Therefore, not willing to base his arguments on his own reasoning, the author opts to name God as the author, as truly he is, since the discussion is based on the Old Testament, readily acceded by the Jews to be from the hand of God.
But the author may also have had reason to hide his own name. If the author was, as we believe, the Apostle Paul, he was a controversial figure in his own time. His wholehearted devotion to the Christian cause made him appear as somewhat of a fanatic in his own day. His conversion from a persecutor of Christianity to a fierce advocate of its teachings made him further suspect. His well-known and professed ministry to the Gentiles made him heretical in their eyes. Therefore, it was a circumspect act to replace his name as author with that of the true originator of the teachings promulgated – God.
REVELATION
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:1-5).
The style of the last book of the Bible opens in two parts: a preface followed by the customary epistolary format giving the author’s name. An analysis of these two parts may shed light on our examination of the openings of John’s three epistles. In the three-verse preface the writer outlines a chain by which the book came into being. Like Paul in opening the Epistle to the Hebrews, John attributes God as the ultimate source. Jehovah passes on the message to his Son, who delegates John as his messenger (or “angel,” see Revelation 22:8, 9), to pass it along to all true servants of God so they would know the things which would shortly come to pass. Only after John reveals this chain of communication does he open with the usual salutations that appear in the other epistles, “John, to the seven churches …”
1 JOHN
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:1-4).
John opens with a beginning similar to that which he uses in his gospel. John 1:1 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was [a] god” (Emphatic Diaglott). In this first epistle he similarly goes back to the origin of the Logos and testifies that his words are verifiably true since he had seen, looked upon (or meditated on), and had physical contact with the “Word of life” – Jesus Christ. Though the recipients of the letter are not given, the early church fathers agreed that it was written to the Parthian Jews (Acts 2:9). Parthia was the land that stretched from the Euphrates to India and was home to many Jews among its inhabitants. The Apostle appears to be continuing his gospel message to these Jews so far removed from the current events in Israel.
2 JOHN
“The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth” (2 John 1:1).
Rather than use his name, John chooses to prefix this epistle with “the elder.” Actually the definite article is missing in the Greek, so it could be better translated “an elder.” The term “elder” is capable of three interpretations. It may simply refer to a person of advanced age. At the time of the writing of this epistle, the Apostle John was more than 90 years of age and thus such a term would be specially fitting.
The term was broadly used to describe an office in the church. Paul uses the title in such texts as 1 Timothy 5:1, 19 and Peter uses it in 1 Peter 5:1. As an apostle, John would certainly also qualify as an elder. There is ample evidence for a special use of this term in the church at Ephesus. There it was used of those who had first-hand knowledge of the ministry of Jesus. Both Irenaeus and Papias refer to those in this capacity. Thus, they were the links between the Lord and the third-generation Christians. This usage may have been derived from Acts 1:21, 22. John was perhaps the last individual to whom this title could be applied.
The epistle is addressed to “the elect lady and her children.” Though many believe this to refer to some prominent sister, it is more likely that the term is an appellative for a particular church. The use of the plural “yourselves” in verse 8 indicates that the addressee is not an individual but a group.
3 JOHN
“The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth” (3 John 1).
Once again John introduces himself simply as “elder,” or “an elder.” In this case there is no doubt that the epistle is addressed to an individual, to a single individual whose name was Gaius. Gaius is a popular New Testament name and the Bible describes at least three of these: Gaius of Macedonia (Acts 19:29), Gaius of Derbe (Acts 20:4), and Gaius of Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:14, Romans 16:23).
It is probable that the Gaius of John’s epistle is none of these, though some scholars believe it to be Gaius of Corinth. However, since John refers to him as one of “my children” (3 John 4) and since Paul was the one who baptized Gaius of Corinth, this identification seems unlikely. Moreover, the ministry of John is never connected with Europe, but seems confined to Asia Minor.
According to early church tradition it was a Gaius from Pergamos, said to be sponsored as a bishop by the Apostle John himself. John’s desire to make the journey from Ephesus to Pergamos is remarkable considering the fact that the aged apostle was into the ninth decade of his life at the time of the epistle.
A CASE OF MODESTY?
A plausible suggestion by many is that John omitted his name from the salutations to his epistles for the reason of modesty. While this is certainly possible and perhaps reasonable, the following observations of John’s personality must be noted:
- It was John, and his brother James, who requested that Jesus call down fire on an inhospitable Samaritan village (Luke 9:54).
- It was John and James whom Jesus surnamed “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17).
- It was John and James whose mother (possibly at their behest) desired that these two should sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in the kingdom (Matthew 20:21).
- It was John who forbade one casting out devils in Jesus’ name because he walked not with them (Luke 9:49).
In each of these instances he was corrected and rebuked by Jesus, and in each case he profited by the Master’s chiding. John and John alone who informs us that he was “the disciple Jesus loved,” a fact that would gain greater credibility if another had so informed us.1 Tradition has it that he walked out of a public bath to avoid a heretic who entered. On the other hand it was to him that on Calvary’s hill Jesus entrusted the care of his mother. While this may have been because he was the only apostle at Golgotha, it is much more likely that it was due to a close bond between Jesus and John.
In all, the composite picture is drawn of a passionate man who had a degree of impetuosity, howbeit less so than Peter. It is not likely that such a man would omit his name from mere modesty, but rather may have replaced it with the more qualifying phrase of “elder,” one who could justly claim personal knowledge of having walked with Christ.
However, when we come to the last book of the Bible, where he represents God as the real author and himself merely a channel between Jesus and the reader, he finally uses the traditional epistolary salutation, “John to …” May it not be that the very magnificence of the Revelation had a humbling effect on John’s mind and that he was no longer the “elder,” but simply John – a servant of Jesus Christ. It is axiomatic that the grander and more profound the message, the less important the one to whom its delivery is entrusted. May the grandeur of our message and the responsibilities of its transmittal commissioned to us have such a humbling effect.
– Carl Hagensick
(1) The venerable tradition that “the disciple Jesus loved” was John might not be correct, some believe that a compelling case may be made for “the disciple Jesus loved” being Lazarus.